The OLED display makes sense with the Apex Pro TKL

As "Keycap Kevin", my heart beats for keyboards. When I unpack the Apex Pro TKL, however, I feel nothing. The keyboard seems too generic to me with its plastic casing, exposed switches and general "gamer aesthetics". It's only with time that I warm to the keyboard and realise that Steelseries has produced an amazingly good keyboard.

Boring look and average typing feel

The Apex Pro TKL is a classic tray-mount keyboard. The cover plate, on which the switches are located, is firmly screwed to the housing. This makes typing on the keyboard rather hard. I think this is fine for gaming, but I find it uncomfortable when typing for long periods of time. The sound when typing is rather muffled and also relatively quiet.

Optically, the keyboard doesn't stand out. It looks like an ordinary gaming keyboard in black. There is a small gap between the cover plate and the casing. This bothers me because the keyboard looks so unfinished. The corners are slightly rounded, which makes it appear lighter.

OLED display with useful functions, but awkward operation

An OLED display is located at the top right. I can use this to make certain settings such as lighting, trigger point or programme macros. The fact that I can do this directly on the keyboard itself instead of using the "GG" software is a great feature. However, the latter offers further options for personalisation.

There is a plastic volume wheel next to the display and a button that activates play/pause. If I hold the latter down for a few seconds, I can access the display menu. The controls are not particularly well made. When I press them, I get the feeling that they are about to pop out of the keyboard. The volume wheel doesn't turn comfortably either, it feels cheap.

Other hardware features

Thanks to the foldable feet on the underside, I can adjust the angle. An included palm rest also ensures better comfort when typing. A coiled USB cable for connection rounds off the scope of delivery.

Overloaded, but reliable software

I personalise the Apex Pro TKL in the "GG" software. At first glance, it seems cluttered and confusing. But after a familiarisation phase, I get on well with it.

The software lets me do the usual things, such as adjust the lighting, reassign buttons or programme macros. However, the setting options for the magnetic switches are more important. I can set the trigger points per button between 0.1 and 4.0 millimetres.

I can also activate, deactivate and configure the Rapid Trigger feature. This feature defines the distance after which a button press is triggered again. These settings apply either for all buttons or only for individual buttons.

Rapid Tap is also on board. This allows you to prioritise certain button inputs while another button is still being pressed. This can be particularly useful for shooters. However, the feature is prohibited in "Counter Strike 2", for example. Two actions, triggered depending on how far the button is pressed down, can also be set. What I can't set are analogue input options like on a controller.

I can save all these settings in up to five profiles in the keyboard's memory.

Surprisingly good switches that can't be swapped

Steelseries uses Omnipoint 3.0 switches in the Apex Pro TKL. This is a linear switch from our own company. It feels and sounds smooth when you press it down. The switches are soldered, so I can't just swap them out.

The magnetic switch technology at Steelseries works in the same way as with most other manufacturers: a magnet is placed under the stem. This approaches the sensor, which is located on the circuit board, when it is pressed down. The shorter the distance to the sensor, the higher the electrical voltage. This is measured so that the distance between the magnet and the sensor can be calculated precisely.

In games, the buttons react reliably and the features work well. Unfortunately, I cannot judge whether the set distances are exact. I don't have a tool to measure them. But my feeling is that they are correct.

Decent keycaps and surprisingly good stabilisers

The keycaps of my test sample in DE layout are made of double injection-moulded PBT plastic. They are slightly roughened, which gives them a good grip. They are so-called shine-through keycaps. This means that the lettering is transparent and is illuminated by the RGB lighting. The effect is uniform for most keys. However, some are poorly illuminated.

The stabilisers - those things that ensure that long keys such as Backspace don't wobble - are surprisingly good. The lubricant that is applied helps. For me, however, the Backspace key makes a ticking noise. So they are not perfect.